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Symantec users find improved licensing

In February, Symantec released Version 12 of its Backup Exec software. The new version supports Microsoft Windows Server 2008; speeds backup and restore of Microsoft Exchange, SQL Server, Active Directory and SharePoint environments; and has an improved granular recovery feature. But the important thing may be that customers report that licensing the new version of Backup Exec has been a snap. That must be music to Symantec's ears, because the last time the company updated its flagship backup software (in late 2006), the licensing experience was hellish. Typical was the experience of one IT manager who told SearchStorage.com in March 2007 that when he tried to upgrade his licensing from Backup Exec 10d to 11d, the GUI on the Symantec customer portal didn't work. "It wouldn't generate a license key," he said then. "And there was no way to get hold of support through the portal." Other 11d customers reviewing the product on Amazon.com reported going through the online activation process, getting a license key and then being told ...

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Periodically testing a disaster recovery (DR) plan is essential, but it can be a time-consuming and expensive task. New tools that check DR configurations and constantly monitor your site's readiness to recover from a disaster can cut costs and testing time, and provide a level of confidence that your DR plan will actually work when it's needed.

Big files and millions of files clogging storage systems can create big backup headaches. While there's no quick fix to the problem of big backups, there are many effective approaches, including adjustments to your backup process and newer technologies from backup vendors.

Storage managers may be reluctant to admit it, but they and the storage systems they manage are key players in most companies' compliance and legal readiness procedures. While ediscovery is the current buzzword, there's currently no all-encompassing ediscovery tool on the market. But you can assemble an effective toolkit with some of the point products that are available now.

IT process automation tools provide workflows that can help automate manual storage management processes. The real value is when these workflow engines are integrated with storage management apps to not only guide administrators through the process, but provide them with information to make intelligent decisions and automate some of the more basic tasks.

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Storage has never received the glory for all of its virtualization efforts because the server side of the shop always seemed sexier, even though forms of storage virtualization have been around for years. But server virtualization and consolidation efforts might push storage virtualization into the limelight.

To avoid inefficiency, the storage provisioning function must be brought into balance. Users must consider changes to process, responsibility and ownership, and identify areas where newer technologies can help.

Software will increasingly transcend the self-imposed technology barriers that have evolved in larger data center environments. The ability to create policy-based programs that not only automate processes, but empower others to help themselves, will dramatically improve efficiency.